Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers

Angela is back...and now she is actually a female. You can always tell that you are in for a real treat when they give an overview of the first movie, kill someone, and show nudity in the first 30seconds of a film. Give the audience what they want. Bonus points for crazy killings such as the always popular drowning in a camp toilet, and paying homage to such classics as Friday the 13th. Nightmare on Elm Street and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Yet, this movie leaves one vital question...if they gave Angela a total makeover, why does she still look like a boy?

I like a lot of types of films, depending on my mood. Sometimes, I dig movies for the intellectuals. At other times, I dig stupid, cheezy trash. Boy, what can I say? This movie is cruel, hateful, nasty, offensive, and panders to the lowest common denominator... and I love it! It's one of the funniest horror-comedies out there, reeking of bad taste and daring to be different than all of the "Friday the 13th"-type movies about faceless killers with no personality. Yes, this is when "bottom of the barrel" is no longer an insult. It has some of the greatest death scenes ever, and kept me laughing at humor that was both intentional and unintentional, but never failed to make me laugh, nonetheless. As trashy and low-brow as this yucky classic is, you've got to wonder what Pamela Springsteen's all-American, rock-star brother made of it, if he even watched it at all. Man, this is a fun movie!

It's not easy being a horror movie fan. After seeing some spectacular masterpieces you start to realize that there aren't many good ones, and you'll spend most of your valuable movie-watching time on lame tripe that contains no originality or jollity, desperately searching for another classic. But I've discovered that if you lower your standards a bit you might find some less-than-classics that are still fun and enjoyable, if not legendary works of art. I humbly submit "Sleepaway Camp 2" as a tolerable entry in the slasher movie archives.

First of all, as far as deranged mass-murderers go, you could do a lot worse than Angela, a demented transsexual camp counselor who flips out at the most minor rule-breakers and reacts lethally, all while sporting a smile and never feeling blue. Our cheery Angela is the most "can-do" serial killer ever. You'll never find a copy of "Catcher in the Rye" or "American Psycho" near her victims- but maybe "Life's Little Instruction Booklet"!

Next of all, it's got a lot of killings. Some movies give you three, maybe four killings, but this one has a crate-full of slaughter- burning, eye-gouging, stabbing, beheading and more. Main characters or peripheral characters, on-screen or off, pretty much everyone gets it in this movie. There's even a classic scene where Angela forces one loathsome character down the hole in an outhouse! (If that doesn't sell you on this movie, nothing will.)

Finally, the cast is pretty good. The heroine is the lovely Renee Estevez, who should be a bigger star. She's always super-likable, (most notably as Betty Finn in "Heathers"). The severely unstable Angela is brought to life by Bruce Springsteen's sister Pamela, and puts in a wonderful performance here.

I can't recommend parts one or three in the epic "Sleepaway Camp" saga, because they're pretty putrid, but part deux is a pretty good diversion from the standard cinematic defecation that's passed off as entertainment.

I really don't know what you would call this movie--Horror, Comedy, Spoof, or just plain silly. I loved it needless to say. I thought the first Sleepaway Camp was a great walk up to the horror genre. This movie, following 5 years later has our sweet little Angela all grown up with real breasts and other really girlie things! And he, excuse me, she is a counselor at Camp Rolling Hills.

Well, in the opening scene Angela is up to her old tricks--Starting the body count off right. Throughout, she decapitates, torches, hangs, strangles, stabs, many many other campers. She even drowns one in an outhouse filled with leeches. At times this movie almost feels like it really wanted to develop a serious plot, just as the first did. Then something silly is done or said that lets us, the audience know this movie isn't gonna take itself too seriously. I feel that is a major down fall for most B-horror movies. This one mixes, horror, humor and blood and guts in a very balanced way.

My only problem...I feel that the character of Angela was much more devious and cunning in the first than in this or the 3rd one. I think that is only because they didn't wanna make these movies too seriously. I like that they didn't...Very enjoyable sequel with an Okay cast of no ones excpet Angela and Molly. They both have very famouse brothers.

Filmed back to back with the 3rd one...Look for Sleepaway Camp 4 coming out next year....

7 out of 10

Sleepaway Camp 2 is definitely one of the best slasher movies out there! After seeing the first Sleepaway Camp, I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but I was definitely pleased. It has great gore, lots of death, tons of unecessary nudity, and good humor. This is a slasher movie that doesn't scare you but is still fun to watch. The first person camera-work was a great play on the Friday the 13th films. Highly recommended viewing.